The Kanto Kids
by BackCornerKid
Summary: From 1997 to 2003, Tentacrew Studios documented the journeys of six trainers from Pallet Town to complete the data for Professor Oak's new invention, the Pokedex. Along the way, the trainers face death, the world around them, and the rising of the volatile Team Rocket. Can they make it to the elite four and possibly championship? Or will they fall short?
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Feel free to skip this if you want. Just necessary and unnecessary information before the story begins. Also, feel free to review. I enjoy criticism, even those on my fanfictions. Every comment can help me further my career as a writer.

**WARNING: **Before you proceed, heed caution. I do love to write profanity and adult themes, such as substance abuse and/or sexual conducts. This fanfiction is no different, but warnings will be issued if questionable chapters arise and you are more than welcome to skip over the chapter if you wish (I will try my best not to put any dire information in them). As of right now, this fanfiction is rated T, but it might change the further I dwell into it.

**RIGHTS: **Pokemon, whether anime or game based, belongs to the Pokemon Company and the creator. This work of fiction is purely fanmade. Support the official release. I do, however, own the rights to the original characters (Adam Novak, Carmen McKenna, Holly Burgess, Jay Hogan, and any other made up characters throughout the story). You do not have the right to republish my work under my same or similar username or your own. If you happen to come across this work on another account, please let me know; although this will be published under my wattpad account "PokemonTrainerBlue".

Now on to the story‼

xXx

**|| Professor Oak ||**

Monday, February 3, 1997 at 5:30 a.m.

Studio crews always arrived extremely early, much to Professor Samuel Oak's annoyance. Bulky cameras and cases were littered across his lab, some haphazardly thrown upon and around research tables, and boom and lighting technicians were jumping from spot to spot to get a "good feel" for sound and shade quality. The only people who stayed out of the way were the interviewers, interns, and make-up artists, though only the latter two were deemed worthless enough to get the rest of the workers coffee and doughnuts. One intern, a young man between the ages of nineteen and twenty-five, passively handed Professor Oak a black coffee, slinking away in star-struck embarrassment to the furthest corner of the lab. He mentally thanked the boy.

"We'll be ready in thirty, professor!" the voice of the director boomed from somewhere in the bustle. Professor Oak felt no need to reply, especially after the way he had let his crew desecrate his once sterile lab.

_Yes, well, at least the lab interns will have their work cut out for them today_, he thought as he took a steady sip and gazed out the windows located near the dry storage. A deep mist clung to the building, making it rather difficult to see the foliage among the panes, well, if one did not count that the sun would not rise in a few more hours. Despite that, Professor Oak continued to stare into the void absentminded until another intern was directing him toward the only tidy lab desk in the room. A puffed-up, but prim marill was standing atop the table, serene and happy. Professor Oak gave it a nice pat on the head, but the marill appeared to be very unhappy with the gesture as it smoothed the thin fur back into its proper place.

Professor Oak took the position marked by yellow tape as the camera crew and technicians did their final touch ups.

"Filming in five! Quiet on the set!" the director yelled as he took his seat. His words were repeated once more by a few cameramen and interns, the first time Professor Oak had any kind of peace since he first arrived.

The main shooter, a heavy-set, bearded man, lifted up his hand, signaling that he was beginning to roll. Professor Oak breathed deeply and let it out with a smile. The cameraman's hand flagged down, and the marker clapped his board, saying, "Intro, take one."

Professor Oak spoke his lines clearly, every word precisely as the script he was given a few months ago had been written. Every motion and movement was acted accordingly, Professor Oak was known to only do one take, which was both a burden and a relief to most studio crews. As he recited, the director nodded happily, memorizing his own script coming from the professor's mouth.

After the take was finished and the cameraman stopped recording, the workers cheered as if they just finished shooting a difficult, emotional scene from a movie. Professor Oak nodded gracefully to each compliment, and when the crew began packing up, he slipped into his office with the director.

After a moment of silence, Professor Oak asked, "Are you nervous, Joel?"

Joel sighed heavily and waited a bit to reply back. "I'm worried that money will be wasted and my talents ruined. Audiences are so picky nowadays, but the network calls for more reality shows after the Real World: Vermillion City ended. Though, you know how scripted they are. This show on the other hand...so, to answer your question, yes. Sort of."

"Yes," Professor Oak replied, quietly adding, "I am too."

"You know Red and Blue are required to be on the show. That's how we will reel in the audience." The director threw his arms in the arm dramatically, as if reading off a newly lit sign. "The kid of the champion and the grandson of the most famous, most idolized Pokemon researcher in the world!"

Professor Oak's brow furrowed, but before he could kick Joel out, one of the interns called for him. Professor Oak thanked him softly and bolted the door after Joel was well away from his office. He quickly shuffled to his leather chair, but before he could properly sit, the tears fell rapidly.


	2. Adam

** || Adam ||**

Saturday, May 24, 1997 at 7:02 a.m.

Fifty sixteen-year old wannabe trainers stood outside of Professor Oak's laboratory, all holding the letters awarding their success at the sixth year written exam. Some of them were carefully folded; others were crumbled from being crushed out of excitement or nervousness, or both. Adam's own letter was placed safely in his back pocket. Every now and then, he would pat it to make sure it had not fallen out, though he was given a few odd glances when he did so.

He had memorized every word by its arrival date, and he bit his lip to hide a smile. People already thought he was weird, so giving them another reason to judge was not necessary.

It read as followed in printed ink:

_Congratulations, Adam Novak!_

_You are invited to Professor Samuel Oak's Laboratory to complete the final exam of your training school. If you pass, you are eligible to receive a starter and your own personalized Pokedex, a new technological tool designed to retrieve and access data of various Pokemon throughout the region. _

_Please report to the laboratory on May 24 by 7:15 a.m. The exam starts at 7:30 a.m. and no one is permitted to enter the building when the exam starts._

_We hope to see you there!_

_Signed, Dr. Daniel Burgess, Ph. D. in Human and Pokemon Bionomics _

He surveyed the group, noticing that only one of his classmates had made it to the final exam, yet he didn't know the kid well enough to group up like the others around him. Instead, he chose to prop against the brick wall that surrounded the lab. Absentmindedly, he removed his glasses and cleaned the lenses with the hem of his shirt.

Adam didn't know how long he had zoned out, but he quickly snapped back into reality when he heard loud applause and fervent screaming. He set his glasses back on the brim of his nose and peered over the heads towards the gates. A news crew had set camp, filming a reporter with the line of possible trainers behind her. The teens closest to the camera had taken the liberty to wave their hands like hooligans, and one pitiful boy with curly black hair was shaking his butt.

Someone behind him snorted, venom in the sound. "Way to look like an idiot for the whole world to see…makes me wanna beat his ass."

"Why is it always violence with you?"

Adam peeked over his shoulder to see a scowling boy with hair so blonde it disappeared in the morning sunlight. Next to the boy, a pudgy girl with heavy make-up and fashion glasses was grinning at the dancing fool, but the smile didn't quite reach the judgment in her eyes.

"What the fuck are you looking at, dickhole? Turn around."

Adam quickly ducked his head down, feeling the red wave of humiliation wash over him.

"Ugh, Hoagie! You're so rude!" the girl yelled. Adam heard a pop as if she slapped him in the arm or the back. "Hey, man. What's your name?"

Adam looked back over his shoulder. The girl was smiling, not like the way she was at the dancing kid, yet the boy called Hoagie was staring off in the distance. Adam assumed that the angry appearance was permanent.

"You can talk to me," she said gently, then jabbed her thumb towards Hoagie. "Don't worry about him. He's just an asshole. You get used to it."

Slowly, but surely, Adam faced the odd couple, subconsciously happy to finally have someone to talk to. The shame he felt from before had begun to fade, but it still lingered like a weighted ball when Hoagie peered at him through the corners of his eyes.

"What's your name?" the girl asked again.

"Adam."

"Adam what?"

"Novak."

She clapped her hands together. "Wait! You're the son of the Pokeshop owner right?"

Adam flustered. "Y-yeah. How did you know?"

"My mom does business with your dad. My name is Carmen McKenna. You must know me right?"

Adam paused for a moment before shaking his head shamefully. Carmen giggled, looked up at Hoagie for a split second, and then flung her hair over her shoulder when she returned her attention.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected you to. You might be more familiar with the name 'Bellafree' I assume?"

"The Pokemon accessories?" Adam asked, reverting to a memory when he saw a shipment of pink tutus specifically made for meowth.

"Yes!" Carmen laughed. "So, what class did you graduate from?"

"A-12."

Carmen placed her hands on her wide hips. "You're not a very talkative person, huh?"

"I guess not…"

Carmen giggled again. "So, A-12, huh? You must be incredibly smart."

Adam shrugged but did not reply.

"Well, Hoagie and I-"

"Stop calling me that to people we don't know. I don't want them to think I'm a wimp."

"Oh, so you're going to join the conversation now? Well, while you're here, apologize to Adam. He could get us, like, discounts or something."

Hoagie glared at Carmen for what seemed like eternity, but when the girl would not let up, he sighed forcefully and mechanically threw out his hand towards Adam.

"Sorry, dude. Just stressed out. I'm Jay." Adam carefully took Hoagie's hand, expecting him to crush it, but Hoagie's grip was soft, almost limp as if he really didn't want to touch Adam. "Don't you ever call me Hoagie. I will murder you."

Carmen giggled and clapped her hands again. "Only I can call him that. His real name is Jay Hogan."

Adam perked up immediately. "Hogan, as in, Mark Hogan, the Pokedex engineer?"

"So, he does talk!"

Jay nodded. "That's my dad."

"Yeah, that's what I was trying to say earlier. He and I are from C-7!" Carmine piped.

In the Pallet Town Training School, kids are given three major exams throughout their six years. The first exam is the entrance exam which places students in different setting based on their weaknesses and strengths. Adam's A-12 class sought out to improve battling technique and type advantages/disadvantages, yet highlighted the strategic mindsets. The other two exams were the sixth year written exam, which focused on survival and hunting, and the final was a battle.

C-7 were the elites, or most notably the richest families if their son or daughter was too incompetent to access the class. They could do anything and everything, and some even say that C-7 students fought in virtual battles instead of reading about it. Yet, by looking at Jay and Carmen, he didn't know whether they made it by mind or money, though he had a slight feeling that it was the latter for both.

Suddenly, another round of cheers and applauds reverberated through the front of the crowd.

"Are they finally opening the gates?" Carmen asked.

Adam, being tall and lanky, nodded when he saw two scientists waving the crowd in. Jay looked down at his watch.

"Only two minutes after. The letter lied. I could've slept some more."

"You know that they won't close the doors until 7:30, idiot. You could've slept a whole lot more."

Adam didn't feel nervous about taking the exam until he saw the kids in front of him shuffle towards the lab. The pit of his stomach deepened, despite eating a hearty breakfast, and he knees felt locked and wobbly at the same time as he approached the lab. Carmen and Jay were laughing about something, obviously not affected by this momentous occasion, but unlike Adam, they had the money to back up if they could not go on a journey, let alone they might not have even cared if they passed the exam or not. Adam, on the other hand, needed this. He needed to get out of Pallet, needed a partner. He could not stand working in his dad's shop. It bored him. The mundane life of Pallet was depressing.

Before he knew it, Adam was sitting in a two-person desk next to Carmen in a large auditorium, a turned over exam lying in front of him. Some students were feeling the test up, commenting on how thick it was. Adam continued to mindlessly gaze at the empty professor's table at the front of the class. He began noticing more and more Professor Oak's aides entering the classroom, taking specific spots around the entire student body.

Carmen huffed in disgust and poked Adam in the ribs. "Of course the golden boys show up one minute before they close the doors."

Adam followed her shielded finger to the two boys entering the class, and even though Adam had never talked to or properly met the boys, he knew them instantly. The first boy wore a red and white cap over messy, black-brown hair and a bored expression plastered his face. His name was Tyler, but everyone called him 'Red'. Whether it was because of his last name 'Redd" or the red cap he always had on, Adam didn't know. The only thing he knew about Red was that he was the kid of the current champion, Roy Redd.

The second boy was not easy to miss. Michael Oak, from the times Adam saw him and the one time he debated whether paralyzing was more efficient that poisoning (Michael won with the Toxic argument, sadly), was always peppy and eager for a challenge. The exuberant way he walked and high fived kids was the envy of most of the student body, especially the girls who tried their hardest to win him over with their charm (but to no luck). Not to mention, being the grandson of the most well respected scientist on the planet had a certain air to it.

People often called him 'Blue', but Adam couldn't pinpoint why. Despite Michael being extremely pleasant around, Adam was too shy to ask where the nickname came from. His only guess was that he was the complete opposite of unimaginative, proper Red, and the two boys have been thrown into this weird town tradition that pits two random boys together, ultimately making them bitter rivals. This generation belonged to Red and Blue, which most people found befitting since the two had famous relatives.

But, as of right now, the two 'bitter' rivals were always hanging out, stuck together like a magneton that hadn't found its final brethren to completely evolve.

"God, I hate them. They were such ego-assholes in class," Carmen remarked as she watched the boys sit at an empty desk in the front and then swung around in her chair to face Jay, who somehow ended up two rows back. She signed some weird signals, more than likely something about Red and Blue, and Jay replied back with a mischievous grin. Carmen turned back into her desk and leaned toward Adam.

"I saw that expression you were giving us. We were talking shit. It wasn't about you, though. Oh! Here we go!"

Adam faced the front of the classroom to see Professor Oak entering through the teacher's office. Adam's heart stopped, instantly star struck. In his whole life of living in Pallet, he never once saw the professor in person. Interns would pick up the items Professor Oak had ordered, and his dad would joke that the professor lived in his lab until a chemistry table.

He was shorter than Adam was expecting…and thinner. His face was lined with both laugh and philosopher's wrinkles and his chestnut colored hair was thin, yet perfectly coiffed. He held a clipboard in one hand and had the other in his lab coat.

Silence was heavy in the crowd, and when Professor Oak spoke, it echoed, almost god-like, in the auditorium. "Welcome, welcome to my laboratory and to your final exam!"


End file.
